Ariana Grande pays tribute to Aretha Franklin with stirring cover of Natural Woman

The death of Aretha Franklin on Thursday has naturally led to an influx of tributes from acts across the music world. They, like millions of her fans, were touched by the magic of Franklin's powerful voice. 

Pop star Ariana Grande paid respect to the iconic soul singer with her own rendition of Natural Woman, while appearing on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon hours after news of Franklin's death broke.

Grande, whose new album Sweetener was released on Friday, performed a touching cover of Fraklin's classic 1967 hit that inspired a standing ovation. 

Franklin died on Thursday at the age of 76. She was reported to have suffered with pancreatic cancer and passed away at her home in Detroit surrounded by her family.

The singer's career spanned over six decades, during which she was awarded 18 Grammy awards, becoming one of the best–selling artists of all time and was labelled the greatest singer of all time by Rolling Stone magazine.

But, Grande was not the only singer to pay tribute to her remarkable talent on Thursday. Alicia Keys, who performed with Franklin at a Grammys party in 2003, also performed Natural Woman during a appearance on Nicki Minaj's Queen Radio. 

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While on Minaj's show, which is broadcast on Apple's Beats 1 channel, Keys discussed her first time performing with Franklin: “It was kind of scary to be in her presence, in a good way. When you just know you’re in the presence of greatness. I remember the first time Clive [Davis] asked me to perform with her.

"She’s one of the greatest of all time, one of the greatest voices. I remember her giving me a lot of love and said she played my songs during her shows. She performed [Key's 2004 song] You Don’t Know My Name.”

Keys also spoke to Minaj about her sadness at hearing Franklin had passed away: “You start thinking wow, this beautiful and incredible life and woman,” she said. “She’s so special. I feel sad, but really inspired and celebratory. She was able to touch so many people, divinely.

"She touched me. Some of my greatest songs were inspired by hers that I loved.  Talk about queens – she was definitely the queen. She stepped into the room and everyone bowed down.”